Method of treating and finishing fabrics.



W. S. STANSFIELD & l. WILKINSON.

METHOD 0F TREATING AND FINISHING FABRICS.

APPLICATION FILED ocT. 9. I9I5.

1 ,273,55 1 Patented July 23, 1918.

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WALTER SENIOR STANSFIELD, 0F WYKE, AND J OE WILKINSON, OFSHIPLEY, ENGLAND, ASSIGNORSTO BRADFORD DYERS ASSOCIATION LIMITED, 0F BRADFORD, ENGLAND,

METHOD OF TREATIN G AND FINISHING FABRICS.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented J Illy 23, 1918.

Application filed October 9, 1915. Serial NO. 54,995.

lb all 'wlw/ln it may concern:

Be it known that we, WALTER SENIOR STANsErELD, of High Trees, lVyke, in the county of York, England, and .loE VILKIN- soN, of Staveley Oaks, Shipley, in the county of York, England, have invented a certain new and Improved Method of r1"reating and Finishing Fabrics, of which the following description, wherein reference is made to the accompanying sheet of drawings, is a specification.

It relates to a method of treating that class of woven fabrics which is known in the trade as crape7 said fabric being produced by the threads being curled or twisted to give to the resultant fabric that appearance from which it derives its name. In the treatment and finishing of these fabrics under ordinary conditions the force that is necessary to drag or carry same through the varied processes results `in stretching said fabrics so that the curl or desired crape appearance in a great measure is destroyed.

To provide means whereby said detrimental effect upon the fabric during the process or treatment described, is entirely prevented is the object of our present invention.

In order that our said invention may be readily understood, we hereunto append a sheet of drawings illustrative thereof, lwherein Figure 1 represents the plaiting or folded edge of a piece of fabric as same is prepared prior to being subjected to the process or treatment necessary for producing the effect thereon that we desire.

Fig. 2 represents a piece of fabric with its selvage of ordinary form, while its body part is of the curled or crape effect desired.

To attain the object of our invention, the fabric that has to be treated, is taken in the condition it is in when it leaves the loom, and is gathered or plaited in comparatively small plaits as a, shown by Fig. 1, at and throughout the length of both of its selvages, one selvage alone being shown in the drawings. At the time that it is thus plaited, which is preferably carried out by a sewing machine in known manner, the threads c, Aal from said machine are stitched through the fabric and through a tape or narrow strip of material b extending lengthwise the plaited edges of the fabric; thus the plaits or gatherings a are secured and held in their proper positions. The fabric or piece of goods on having its selvages thus prepared is then subjected to the usual treatment and processes for finishing same ready for the market. That is to say it is passed in rope form through apparatus of a well known type commonly called a dolly which consists of a pair of heavy wooden squeezing rollers placed over a trough which` contains the solution which by guiding roll'- ers and a rotary motion of the squeezing rollers the endless rope of fabric is carried repeatedly through the solution. The solution for craping it is well known and contains caustic soda. After the treatment by the craping solution this solution may be drained away and the bleaching solution may be placed in the same trough after which the fabric is taken away and placed in a hydro-extractm' to carry off superfluous moisture or excess of liquid. lt is then taken through a similar machine to that above described in which the dye or coloring matter that it is desired to subject it to is placed after which the fabric is dried in the usual and well known manner in any appropriate drying apparatus. During such processes as is well known the fabric is caused lo travel through various stages by being dragged or conveyed by rotary rollers or the like so that considerable strain is put upon the fabric under ordinary conditions; however', when the selvages are prepared in accordance with our invention as hereinbefore described they bear all the pulling strain or tension to which the fabric is subjected, while the body part f of said fabric between said selvages is left free and loose so that no strain is exerted thereon to interfere with the curling of the threads forming said fabric, hence the desired crape appearance is given thereto.

In cases where the threads o and (Z along the selvages of the fabric are alone found to be sufiiciently strong to withstand the strain put upon them for carrying the woven fabric through the different processes, then we do not make use of the tapes b.

After the treatment and finishing of the fabrics under the conditions hereinbefore described, are completed, the threads e, (Z along the selvages are kdetached as are also the tapes b and said selvages a are left free to form the fiat condition shown by Fig. 2.

Such being the nature and object of our invention, what We claim, is

11. "Eh-@method mi treating and linishing fabrics consisting of taking the Woven abric as it leavesl the loonr, andi plaiting or gathering the selvages thereof, passing same thnouglr ther solin tionf lmowrr as crapin 0 solution, subjecting it to a process of bleaching` then passing same through a process of dyeing,- after which it is dried, Valli theI Varied features of the process beingv carried out substantially as herein specified,

2. The niethod of treatingandfnishing fabrics consisting of' taking the Woven fabric as it leaves the loont7 pl'aiting or gather- Copiesof this patent maybe obtained for ing the selvages thereof, stitching said selvages to strengthening tapes, passing the fabric thus prepared through a solution known as the craping solution, subjecting it tov a process of bleaching, then passing saine through dyeing drying' operations, substantially as herein specified.

3. The method ofl treating and finishing fabrics consisting of taking the woven fabric it lea-ves the loom, plaiting or gathering the selvages thereof, passing same through a solution known as the craping solution and subjecting it tov the ordinary processes of imisliing substantially as, herein specified..

WALTER. SENIOR STANSFIELD.' J OE WILKINSON.

`Wash'ngtonJ). C. 

